Mendhar (J-K) (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said there is peace along the borders in Jammu and Kashmir as Pakistan fears Prime Minister Narendra Modi and would dare to open fire.

Shah was addressing an election rally in this border area in the Union territory's Poonch district in support of BJP candidate Murtaza Khan.

He lauded the BJP-led Centre for wiping out terrorism by replacing guns and stones in the hands of youngsters with laptops and said his government would not allow guns to resonate in the hills of Jammu region.

"We will construct more bunkers along the borders for the safety of the people. I want to remind you of cross-border firings in the 1990s… Is cross-border firing happening today?

"It is because the earlier rulers here were frightened of Pakistan, but now, Pakistan fears Modi. They would not dare to fire but if they did, they would be given a befitting reply," Shah said.

The BJP leader is on a three-day tour and is scheduled to address four more election rallies in Surankote in Poonch, Thanamandi and Rajouri in Rajouri district and Akhnoor in Jammu district.

Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir are taking place for the first time after the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh -- in August 2019.

The first phase of polling was held on September 18. The second phase will be held on September 25, followed by the third and final phase on October 1. The election results will be declared on October 8.

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Wayanad: Rinson Jose, a Kerala-born entrepreneur and Norwegian citizen, has been linked to the investigation into the recent pager explosions in Lebanon that resulted in at least 20 fatalities and thousands of injuries.

Jose, 37, is the owner of Bulgaria-based Norta Global Limited and is suspected of being involved in the supply chain for the pagers used in the attacks on September 17, 2024.

“Although on paper it was BAC Consulting that signed the contract with Gold Apollo, Norta Global was actually the one behind the deal,” Telex, a Hungarian media outlet quoted sources as saying.

Reports suggest that Jose has gone missing since the attacks.

However, an investigation by Bulgaria's security agency, SANS, has cleared Jose and his company of any direct involvement, stating that no shipments related to the pagers passed through Bulgaria.

“Following verifications, it has been indisputably established that no communication equipment corresponding to those that exploded on September 17 was imported, exported or manufactured in Bulgaria,” the agency was quoted as saying by AFP. It added that the company and its owner had not carried out any transactions linked to the sale or purchase of the merchandise or that “falls under laws on terrorism financing".